Typewriter with detachable platen-carriage



H. ETHERIDGE.

TYPEWRITEB WITH DETACHABLE PLATEN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10. 1920.

1 382,349. Patented June 21,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Hill

I H. ETHERID( 5E. TYPEWRITE ITH DETACHABLE PLA CARRiAGE. A CATION FILED MAR. 10.]

1 382349, I PatentedJune 21,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT ETHERIDG-E, OF EALING, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAR-LOCK TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TYPEWRITER WITH DETACI-IABLE PLATEN-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

Application filed March 10, 1920. Serial No. 364,625.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT Errrnnroen, a subject of the King of England residing in Ealing, Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriters with Detachable Platen-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriters with detachable platen-carriages, and has for its main object to provide more simple means than that heretofore employed for rendering the platen-carriage of a typewriter detachable.

According to this invention a typewriter has a detachable platen-carriage holder supported from the base of the machine by parts fixed relatively thereto which are situated at the front and back of the holder respectively, and is characterized by the back supporting means comprising a jaw on the one part (for example the holder) which engages a stud on the other part, the longitudinal axis of which stud is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platen, and the front supporting-means being such as to limit the movement of the front of the holder toward the base, so that when the holder is to be detached the front can be swung upward turning on the back jawed connection and then can be moved out from the back connection in a direction at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the platen. Conveniently releasable means may be provided for limiting the front of the holder from movement away from the base.

Preferably the jaw for the back supporting-means of the holder allows for slight backward and forward adjustment of the holder and the front supporting means comprises a jaw which engages and fits a stud whose longitudinal axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platen, which stud is so mounted (for example by being a loose fit in a hole in a vertical lug and clamped in position by parts, say, anut and a shouldered portion of the stud, which engage opposite sides of the lug) that it can be adjusted in a vertical direction or backward and forward of the machine to locate the platen relatively to the striking-point of the typebars.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of this invent10n:--

Figure l is a plan of that part of the base of the machine which receives the platencarriage holder, part of the platen-carriage holder being shown in position and part broken away for clearness;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, viewed from the right-hand end of that figure, and

Fig. 3 shows the same end'eleva tion but with the platen-holder with its carriage partly released.

The same letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.

The base A of the machine has cast on it four vertical lugs, two marked A being situated at the back and two marked A being situated more to the front. The lugs A have studs 13 screwed into them, which studs project laterally from the lugs and have their longitudinal axes parallel with the longitudinal axis of the platen. The other lugs 91?, also carry studs B which project laterally from the lugs and have their longitudinal axes parallel with the longitudinal-axis of the platen, but these studs are not screwed into the lugs'but have screwthreaded portions B which fit loosely in holes through the lugs, and the studs are fastened by nuts B Each stud is shouldered to provide a surface for bearing against one side of its lug and the nut bears against the other side so that the stud can thus be firmly clamped in any position in which it is set in the lug within the limits allowed by the difference of size between the orifice and the screw portion 13 which lies therein.

The platen-carriage is shown at C and the platen at C The carriage is supported on the platen-holder D by ball-bearings D situated at the top and bottom of the front portion of the holder. The back of the carriage is thus made to provide a jaw, the opposite faces of which constitute ball-races for the balls D and are opposed to the top and bottom ball-races of the holder. The back portion of the holder takes the form of two arms E, one at each end of the holder. The back end of each arm has in it a horizontally-disposed jaw E and the forward end has a vertically-disposed jaw E The jaws E engage the studs B which with the jawed portions of the arms thus constitute the suppo'rtingmeans for the back of the holder and the jaws E engage the studs B which studs, with these jaws, constitute the supporting-means for the front of the holder. The jaws fit the studs so that there is no appreciable lateral play between the sides of the jaws and the studs, and it will be seen that the carriage can be instantly detached by first swinging up the front portion as shown in Fig. 3 to clear the jaws from the studs B and then drawing the holder and carriage forward in a direction at right-angles to the longitudinal axis of the platen to clear the jaws E from the studs B. Similarly, the carriage can be attached by engaging the jaws E with the studs B while the front of the carriage is lifted, and then loweringthe same so that the jaws E engage the studs B The fact that the platen-carriage is engaged with the rear studs 13 at points which are considerably below the level of the center of the platen, causes this to swing Well away from the ribbon-arms which lie just in front of it, so that the carriage clears these with ease when removing it or placing it on the machine. Conveniently when placing the carriage on the machine, it is held in such position that its front edge lies vertically above the studs 13 while engaging the jaws E therewith, so that the operator can easily see tobring the parts into proper engagement and then it is swung forwardly and downward to engage the jaws E with the studs B Preferably catches F are pivoted at the sides of the holder to lock underneath the studs B when the holder is resting on the same, so that the holder is not only prevented by the studs from vertical movement toward the base, but also held against vertical movement away from the base. These catches have finger-pieces F which project laterally on'opposite sides of the holder so that they can both be pushcd'back simul taneously by the operator prior to lifting the frontof the carriage. Each catch has in it a pin F which moves in a hole or recess, indicated at F, to limit the degree of angular movement of the catch about its pivot so that it does not become abnormally displaced from the operative position.

The object of mounting the studs B with their screw-threaded portions B in holes in the lugs A which are larger than the said screw-threaded portion, is to enable the platen to be properly registered with the striking point of the type-arms.

It will be seen that by loosening the nuts B the studs can be moved backward or forward to exactly aline the platen along a horizontal plane, and. they can also be raised or lowered to bring the platen to the exact vertical adjustment desired; when the proper position has been found, the nuts B are tightened up and the studs B are thus permhnently secured.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is '1. In a typewritingmachine, the combination of a base, a platen-carriage holder, rear supporting-means and front supporting means each comprising a stud, and a jaw for detachably embracing the latter, provided one on-said base and the other on said holder for detachably supporting said holder on the base, the axes of the studs being disposed parallel to the axis of rotation of the platen, the jaw of the rear supporting means allow ing for slight backward and forward adjustment therein of the cooperating stud, and the stud of the front supporting-means being so mounted in the partcarrying it that it can be adjusted in a vertical direction, and backward and forward of the machine, for the purpose described.

2. In a typewritiug-machine, the combination of a base, a platen-carriage holder, rear 7 supporting-means at each end of the said holder comprising a stud, and a jaw for detachably embracing the latter, provided one fast on said base and the other on the rear of said holder for detachably supporting the back of said holder on the base, the axes of the studs being disposed parallel to the axis of rotation of the platen, and front supporting-means at each end of the said holder each so arranged as to detachably support said holder on the base in front of the said rear supporting-means and as to limit the movement of the front of the holdertoward the base, substantially as set forth.

In a typewriting-machine, the combination of a base, a platen-carriage holder, rear supporting-means at each end of the said holder comprising a stud, and a jaw for detachably embracing the latter, provided one fast on said base and the other on the rear of said holder for detachably supporting the back of said holder on the base, the axes of the studs being disposed parallel to the axis of rotation of the platen, front supportingmeans at each end of the said holder each so arranged as to detachably support said holder on the base in front of the said rear supporting-means and as to limit the move-. ment of the front of the holder toward the base, and swinging catches, one for each front supporting-means, mounted on the 7 part whereon the jaws of the front support 111g means are provided and arranged each to engage the stud'of its allotted front supportmg -means.

4. In a typewriting-machine, the combination of a base, having two vertical back lugs and two vertical front lugs, two back studs,

one in each back lug, arranged co-axially one with the other, two front studs, one in each front lug, arranged co-axially one with the other and parallel with the back studs, and a platen-carriage holder having at its two ends two back jaws and two front jaws, one back jaw and one front jaw at each end, which back jaws are directed each at right-angles to the length of the platen-carriage and are arranged to embrace the two back studs, and the said front jaws are directed vertically and arranged to embrace said front studs, substantially as set forth.

5. In a typewriting-machine, the combination of a base having two vertical back lugs and two vertical front lugs, two back studs, one in each back lug, arranged co-axially one with the other, two front studs, one in each front lug, arranged co-axially one with the other and parallel with the back studs, a platen-carriage holder having at its two ends two back jaws and two front jaws, one back jaw and one front jaw at each end, which back jaws are directed each at right-angles to the length of the holder and are arranged to embrace the two back studs, and the said front jaws are directed vertically and arranged to embrace said front studs, and two swinging catches mounted one on each end of the holder and arranged each to detachably engage one of said front studs, substantially as set forth.

6. In a typewriting-machine, the combination of a base, a platen-carriage holder, rear supporting-means comprising a stud, and a jaw for detachably embracing the latter, provided one on said base and the other on the rear of said holder for detachably supporting the back of said holder on the base, the axis of which stud is disposed parallel to the axis of rotation of the platen, and front supporting-means so arranged as to detachably support the said holder on the base in front of said rear supporting-means, and as to limit the movement of the front of the holder toward the base, the jaws of the rear supporting-means being situated well below the level of the longitudinal axis of the platen, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HERBERT ETHERIDGE. 

